Transfer Centre

Liverpool transfer news: RB Leipzig 'showing interest' in 21-year-old midfielder

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 23 June 2024

From Liverpool to Leipzig? Reds midfielder 'wanted' by German giants

RB Leipzig are reportedly showing an interest in 21-year-old Liverpool midfielder Tyler Morton, who is also on the radar of Sevilla and Eintracht Frankfurt.

Liverpool midfielder Tyler Morton is the subject of interest from RB Leipzig and a handful of other top European clubs, according to a report.

The 21-year-old has just completed his second loan spell in the Championship with Hull City, where he went from strength to strength with three goals and five assists in the second tier.

Prior to his brief stint at the MKM Stadium, Morton also excelled at Blackburn Rovers in the 2022-23 campaign with four assists from 46 matches, establishing himself as a competent Championship lynchpin.

Comfortable as a number six or number eight, Morton has only made fleeting appearances for Liverpool since coming through their academy ranks, having first joined the Reds as a schoolboy in 2009.

The 21-year-old played nine times in the 2021-22 season under Jurgen Klopp, making starts in the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and EFL Cup, being part of the winning squads in the latter two tournaments.

Tyler Morton in action for Liverpool in November 2021 © Reuters

Sevilla, Eintracht Frankfurt 'battling' for Morton's signature

However, Morton's most recent appearance for the Merseyside giants came all the way back in March 2022, although he penned a new long-term contract with his boyhood club back in January 2023.

It is still not clear what the future holds for the midfielder at Liverpool, though, and according to The Times, German powerhouses RB Leipzig are one of several sides keen to prise him away from Anfield.

Die Roten Bullen pride themselves on nurturing young talents and took Morton's Liverpool teammate Fabio Carvalho on loan for the first half of the 2023-24 season, but that move did not work out for either party.

Carvalho ended up joining Morton at Hull for the remainder of the campaign, but Leipzig are not alone in their pursuit of the latter, who has also caught the eye of Eintracht Frankfurt, Feyenoord and Sevilla.

Furthermore, some unnamed Premier League clubs are also said to be keeping a close eye on the situation, while almost every team in the Championship would be keen to take Morton on loan for 2024-25.

Arne Slot who has been appointed Liverpool head coach from June 1, the club have announced on June 5, 2024 © Imago

The England Under-21 international is likely to turn his nose up to another stint in the second tier, though, having already made his mark with both Blackburn and Hull over the past couple of seasons.

Why Morton could still have a future at Liverpool

According to a study from the CIES Observatory referenced by the report, Morton is one of the best young players in the world when it comes to press resistance, boasting a ball retention rate of a staggering 86.9% when under high pressure.

Out of all players younger than Morton, only Barcelona's Gavi and Paris Saint-Germain's Warren Zaire-Emery - who are considered to be two of the finest midfield talents on the planet - could better that figure.

As Liverpool boss Arne Slot is known to be searching for midfield reinforcements in the number six area and has previous when it comes to developing academy prospects, it would surely make sense for the news Reds boss to give Morton the chance to prove his worth in pre-season.

The 21-year-old needs to be tested at a level higher than the Championship and could potentially save Liverpool having to spend the big bucks on a new enforcer, although a bid may very well come in that is too good to turn away.